Efforts have been previously made to enclose art and other objects for display in a hermetically sealed chamber that contains an inert or moisture reduced gas. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,292,339 and 4,183,160.
Methods which use silicon glues and other sealants based on highly volatile solvents have the disadvantage that such solvent vapours remain in the enclosure. Such sealants also require time to cure.
While it is known to provide a desiccant within containers to reduce and absorb the humidity, the relatively thin and planar dimensions of conventional framing structures are not adapted to permit enclosure of significant quantities of desiccant in a way that does not unduly increase weight or increase the thickness of the assembly.
Further, no means has yet been proposed for providing an indication, without opening the container, that the seal in such a chamber has failed to the extent of permitting moisture to enter.